COMPANY SNAPSHOT

PROJECT SPOTLIGHT
By Susan Bady, Senior Contributing Editor
A
round the middle of September 2012, Tenhulzen Residential of Bellevue, Wash., received a call from former clients
about updating their master bathroom. “’We hate it—we’ve
always hated it,” the couple told Mike Tenhulzen. The empty nesters
wanted to remake the space in a way that would be appropriate for
their current lifestyle as well as whatever the future may hold.
The two-story home in Bellevue had been built in the 1970s.
Tenhulzen remodeled the kitchen in the early 1990s. “The house
is fairly unique in that it was built using an Asian technique,” he
says. “It’s a timberframe, octagonal structure supported between
floors by beams that are at 30-degree angles to each other and
zigzag across the ceiling. On top of the beams is car decking for the
floor above. It’s not standard construction — there’s no diaphragm
between ceiling, drywall, and floor.”
The master suite is on the second floor. Prior to the remodel,
there was a hall bath adjacent to the master bath, and two additional bedrooms at the opposite end of the house. Because of
the home’s octagonal shape, the clients had two options: leave the
rooms in their existing locations, or expand the master bath on a
platform so the plumbing fixtures could be relocated. They chose
the second option.
Since their adult children come home to visit regularly, the clients
decided to make the two secondary bedrooms more guest-friendly.
They repositioned the hall bath between bedrooms 1 and 2 in a
Jack-and-Jill arrangement with two doors. In addition, they chose
to enlarge and remodel the master closet. Tenhulzen designer
Stephanie Lofquist worked with the couple to achieve their goals
and ultimately exceed their expectations.
Stepping it Up
The existing master bath had fluorescent lighting over the vanity
capping a three-quarter-height wall that doubled as a headboard
for the master bedroom. The primary goals for the remodel were
to improve lighting and storage while including a Japanese soaking
tub as well as an oversized shower, double vanity, and water closet.
The existing wall above the back wall of the shower was left intact
Tenhulzen Residential raised the floor of the existing master bath to accommodate the structure and drainage of a Japanese soaking tub
(opposite). Both spouses can use the rectangular sink. The trellis over the
shower (right) reflects the Asian motif of the main floor living room.
DECEMBER 2014
COMPANY SNAPSHOT
COMPANY: Tenhulzen Residential
OWNERS: Michael Tenhulzen, Director; Traci Tenhulzen,
Executive Producer
LOCATION: Bellevue, Wash.
2013 SALES VOLUME: $2.3 million
PROJECTED 2014 SALES VOLUME: $3 million
WEBSITE: www.tenhulzen.com
www.ProRemodeler.com
Professional Remodeler
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